Symbiosis
by xXConiferXx
Summary: One Shots about the Doctor and Rose's life on the TARDIS. *Newest* Remembering - "And heat. I felt like I was burning up. Then you k-" She suddenly stopped, looking at him with wide, amused eyes.
1. Silence

**So…Hello! I suppose this isn't ****_technically_**** my first Doctor Who fanfiction, as I'm in the process of having the first chapter of a multi-chapter one beta'd, but it's my first posted one.  
This story will just be a series of one-shots, written from prompts given to me by you lovely readers! Prompts can range from anything such as a word or a song ( In the case of a song, tell me both the title and the artist, especially if it's a cover.) or even a scene that you want me to write. Anything at all, really. Anyway, that's all for now! Hope you enjoy.  
Also, I don't own Doctor Who, quite sadly. If I did, then there would be a DoctorxRose kiss while they're both fully aware and/or not a metacrisis.  
**

It wasn't often that Rose's sleep was interrupted on the TARDIS – she had long gotten used to the sounds of tinkering that came from the console room, or the sounds of the Doctor's footsteps echoing around the ship. It was when the TARDIS was completely silent that woke her. The dull, mechanical humming that she now took as silence rang in her ears.  
Stumbling from her bed, Rose hissed in surprise as the unusually cold air hit her. She pulled a spare quilt from the end of her bed, wrapping it around herself like a cape as she stumbled out the door.

"Doctor?" Rose called softly as she made her way down the dark hallway. Her toed curled against the cold of the biting floor as she made her way into the console room.  
It was dim in there as well, the only light coming in from the open door, and that light was faint and slightly purple. The Doctor sat in the doorway, feet dangling over the side of the blue box.

Rose padded over to him, pulling the other door open and sitting beside him silently, wrapping an edge of the blanket around his shoulders. He made no movement that gave away that he had noticed her presence. His eyes were red as if he'd been upset, looking like those of a small child's - sad and terrified, but with an ancient sort of look to them. A broken sort of look.  
Her fingers made small movements beneath the blanket and his jacket, making comforting circles against his back. Rose rested her head against his shoulder, looking out across the brilliant cluster of stars before them.

It may have been hours or seconds before he finally spoke, but whichever it was, it didn't really matter.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" She asked, though she knew there was.

"It's gone, Rose." His voice scratched against his throat, as if the words were resisting. "It's just gone."

Rose didn't say anything at first. "I'm sorry." came her reply, the fact that she was half-asleep evident in her tone, but it was sincere all the same.

"Don't apologize," He replied, still looking out across space. "It's not your fault."

"Not yours either. " He shook his head.

"It was. They're gone because of me." He swallowed, glancing towards her for a moment before looking back at the stars.

Rose stifled a yawn, watching him. "You can't blame yourself forever," she told him.

The Doctor looked at her, shaking his head slowly and sighing. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Yeah," Rose muttered, yawning. "Couldn't sleep."

"Go back to bed. I'm alright."

"I know. That's why I'm not going anywhere." And he smiled despite himself, wrapping his arms around Rose and pulling her closer.


	2. They Hadn't Meant To

**A huuuge thank-you to everyone who favorited / followed this. You don't know how happy it made me. Especially since you guys liked it off of **_**that**_**. O.o**  
**From the prompt given to me by ****Valerie E. Mackin ( Thank you for your review, by the way. :D) **, **which was: ****Rose, the Doctor, a misunderstanding, humor, and a fancy dress party.**  
**By the way, I will default to the 10****th**** Doctor unless stated otherwise.**

**** They hadn't meant to land here. They wanted to land on Earth for a short while – something about Jackie's birthday and why it was important that he took Rose home. Of course, the TARDIS didn't really care and taken them to the opposite side of the universe. Not that the Doctor minded.  
They also hadn't meant to land in the middle of a bog. However, as would prove to be usual for that day, they didn't get always what they wanted. The Doctor had tripped over a root and fallen into a partictularily putrid puddle, and was now covered head to toe in stinking, wet dirt.  
Another thing they hadn't meant to do was get on the bad side of what looked like a scaly octopus when the Doctor had fallen into his home. It wasn't a very intelligent creature, so any attempts that he or Rose made to reason with the creature only made the situation worse.  
And _yet another_ thing that they hadn't meant to do was get lost while running away from said octopus. So, now they were lost in the middle of a bog on some unknown planet with a damp stinking Doctor and a rather miffed Rose (Which was exactly the opposite of how the Doctor meant to make this day.)

Today was just full of things that they hadn't meant to do.

Of course, it didn't stop there.

A blonde woman and a tall, mud covered man stood in the elaborate archway that served at the entrance to what was quickly apparent to be some sort of ball. The swirling skirts that flashed before them, sending the light from the elaborate chandeliers bounding off the walls and onto the faces of the dancers, made their clothes look vastly out of place. The man was covered head-to-toe in muck, his hair clinging to his head. Dancers gave him confused looks as they swirled past, though despite how uncomfortable he must have been, he was grinning at the scene before him like a child on Christmas morning.

A disgruntled, important looking man with skin the color of embers stepped walked over to the pair.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his voice gruff and not at all approving of the disheveled couple.

"Yes, actually!" The Doctor beamed, fishing the small wallet that contained the psychic paper from his pocket. "Sorry that we're a bit late," he continued, flashing the man the paper. "Got a bit caught up in…something. Not important, really."

As the man ( who Rose had assumed was some sort of guard) read the paper, his eyes grew wide and he dropped into a bow. "Yes, yes, of course. " He muttered quick apologies under his breath

"That's alright," Rose cut in to his ramblings. The Doctor glanced at the paper and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Foreign dignitaries from Shallab." He told her quietly. " Well-respected and wealthy country a few away from here."

"Here is…?" She whispered back, hoping that the guard was too engrossed in his bowing and muttering apologies to hear them.

" Garris, on the planet of Alkys." He answered, before standing up straight and attempting to look dignified despite the state of his clothing. "You can…stop that now." He told the man, who stood up rather quickly and almost fell backwards. He then stared at the two of them, as if trying to work out why they were so dirty.

"I do admit, and I mean this in all politeness, that your state of dress is not exactly…fitting…for this occasion." He eyed the Doctor pointedly.

"Yeah…noticed that, thanks." Rose muttered.

" Perhaps we have spare clothing that would fit the two of you?" The guard suggested, turning to wave over a young woman. " This is my wife, Artylla. I'm sure she can help your wife find a suitable dress."

"Oh, we're not married." The Doctor and Rose corrected simultaneously, and the red of the man's skin grew deeper.

"So sorry. I just- Apologies." He quickly stammered out. " Ahm..If you'll just follow me, Mr. Smith…we'll get you cleaned up." He trailed off, hurrying into the throng towards the elegant set of stairs

~*~

A few minutes later, Rose stood at the top of the stairs in a dress that reminded her of Cinderella . It was a pale blue ball gown, accented with gold lace and beaded flowers. A small braided ring sat around her head, glistening in the dancing lights.

Rose's eyes scanned the crowd below, searching for any sign of the Doctor. He was standing in a corner, talking to the Artylla's husband rather animatedly. Completely clean, she noticed, and back into his striped suit. She wondered how they had managed to clean that so quickly.

Rose made her way down the stairs as quickly as she could, which wasn't very quickly at all. The shoes she wore were half a size too small and rather uncomfortable besides that, forcing her to half-hobble down the staircase.

"I was just telling our friend Flord here how they should take care of their eight-legged problem." The Doctor explained when she finally made her way over to him.

"You could just not fall into puddles," Rose suggested, smirking lightly.

"Cheeky," He muttered.

Flord looked away. "I think I see Artylla over there…" he said quickly, disappearing into the depths of the crowd.

"I think you scared him off," Rose said. The Doctor looked insulted.

"That was just as much your fault as mine," he protested.

"If you say so," Rose grinned. They stood against the wall quietly, Rose's gloved hands fidgeting against her dress. Eventually, a new song began and the Doctor smiled, bowing slightly and holding out his hand to her.

"May I have the honor of this dance, Miss Tyler?"

Rose placed her hand in his, giggling lightly. "You may," she agreed, and he pulled her out into the throng.

~*~*~*

"You're beautiful." He said quietly. She wasn't quite sure she had heard him right, but the gentle look on his face told her that she had.

"For a human?" She smirked and he smiled, shaking his head as they spun.

"No."

"I'm not beautiful, then?" She asked teasingly.

"That's not what I meant." He protested, eyebrows furrowing. Rose laughed quietly.

"Then what did you mean?" She asked, just as quietly as her laugh.

The Doctor shrugged, spinning her around before answering. "You're beautiful. That's all."

"You say that about everything we come across." She pointed out with a smile.

"Do I?"

"Yeah."

A sheepish smile crossed his face. "Oh."

"Oh?"

He opened his mouth, letting it hang open for a second as he thought. "Well, fine, then you're gorgeous, or perfect, or any variation of."

"I like gorgeous." Her tongue was peeking out from behind her teeth as she grinned.

"Then you are gorgeous, Rose Tyler." The Doctor said decisively, abandoning all personal space and pulling her closer against him. They danced quietly for a few minutes – her, trying to reason away his compliments and he, having an argument in his head.

"Rose?" He asked quietly, pulling his hand to rest on her cheek, and thus settling his inner debate.

Rose's breath caught as he performed the simple action – he could hear it – but she didn't pull away. That was a good sign. "Yeah?"

"Can I…" He trailed off, catching her eyes in his.

"Wha-" He interrupted her, leaning down to catch her lips against his. Her eyes widened, and he pulled away before she had the chance to respond.

He pulled himself further from her, nearly arm's length away, looking as if he was about to run. "Sorry, I-"

"Oh, shut up." She grinned, kissing him in return.

They didn't know that kissing in public was illegal.  
But why would they?  
It wasn't something that they had started that day meaning to do.

**Sorry, I think I forgot the misunderstanding. Hm. ,**

Pssshhh, consistent POV. What's that?

These will usually be posted on Tuesdays or Thursdays ( Depending on the prompt, length, and how much homework I have) , however I'm a bit busy tomorrow so I figured that no-one would mind if I uploaded it a few hours early.

You know what awesome people do? Review. Reviewing is cool. :D Even if you tell me that you hate this and want it to go die in a hole, I'd love to hear your opinion. 


	3. Hands

**Hello! How are you all? Fantastic, I hope.**

Valarie, I tried to find a good fairytale to re-write, and I'm still trying to look, but not having much luck thus far. ,

This prompt was given to me by one of my friends, and it was "Hands". 

rough fingers catching on the gentle warmth of human hands  
reaching for the safety  
that would just as much become the downfall

their meeting was just as much chance as fate  
or maybe it was just as much fate as chance  
because they had never meant to meet  
but what they wanted was  
not  
what they needed

so the tiny piece of safety  
that was held in the hands  
refuge against the  
oncoming storm  
was gratefully taken  
as the fate that  
brought them together  
that would also  
tear them apart  
was ignored

until the day it  
shattered  
arms and hands  
and bright smiles  
that glittered against the dark  
like a beacon calling lonely  
wanderers home

just as much fate as chance  
or maybe it was just as much chance as fate  
because what they needed  
and what they wanted  
were just the same

but the oncoming storm  
finally broke  
and the safety  
was not enough

but in that moment  
the moment of  
rough fingers catching the gentle warmth  
of human hands  
in that moment  
nothing mattered but  
Run.

**So, wrote this when I was trying to be productive.  
I think it went well.  
…Except for the fact that it's not what I mean to be productive on at all.**

Got a prompt? Send it my way! :D  



	4. Dreaming

**You guys are lovely. ^.^ Thank you for all the compliments ( and prompts! :D )**

**This one was given to me by Caskett54 : "Everyone's got memories of things that never happened."**

Rose Tyler, shop girl, had never been the sort of person to have nightmares. She had no reason to have them – there was nothing particularly nightmare-worthy in her life to give them to her. Not before the aliens and monsters.

But now, in the dawn of the normality that her life after her time with him, the great man who showed her the things worthy of the nightmares, she hardly slept.

But it inevitably pulled at her eyelids and when it did, the nightmares tore at her mind.

The only thing that made the sleep worth the nightmares was the thing that stopped them. A blinding golden light and memories of things that never happened. Memories of him, her leather-cloaked, big eared Doctor.

_"Just let go." He was practically begging her, the beautiful creature that stood in front of him. The Bad Wolf._

"How can I let go?" She asked, not blinking. "I bring life."

"But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!" The Doctor protested. It was wrong, and she knew it. But the power was too great.

"I can. The sun and the moon, the day and the night." The power was too great. Too great for the tiny human brain that had claimed the heart of the TARDIS. Her mind pounded. Pain was erupting against her skull, burning from the inside out. "…but why do they hurt?"

_"But that's what _I_see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?"_

"My head…" Her voice was shaking . Quickly dying. The words were quiet, barely above a whisper. But still, he heard. Or he knew.

"Come here." He stepped closer carefully, knowing that whatever she had become could kill him – permanently – in a millisecond.

"…is killing me." Tears glistened against her glowing skin, the pain becoming too much.

"_I think you need a Doctor." And he kissed her. He kissed the pain away. _

Some nights, she would face the nightmares bravely just to see his face again, to pretend that this was her remembering and not some figment that her mind created. Some nights, she needed the comfort that it brought to remind her that she wasn't really alone.

He was worth the pain and terror and nightmares.

Even if he was just a memory of something that never happened.


	5. A Matter of Importance

**So, I'm probably going to keep saying this every chapter, but you guys are really, really awesome. Your reviews give me warm fuzzies. 3 Which are good. Very much so.  
And now I stop rambling and you can read what you came here to read! ( Unless you're a person who clicks on fics ( rhyming's fun!) just to read the A/Ns. In which case…whatever stops your boat from sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor where it would be ravaged by hungry, wood-eating monsters.  
Excellent job of not rambling, Conifer. Excellent job.**

This prompt was given to me by foreverfallingxo, which was the aftermath of The Girl in the Fireplace. Which, fun fact, I was watching when I first read that prompt. :D

**(By the way, the prompts aren't taken in any sort of order, it's just whatever strikes my fancy at the time.)**

"Did you love her?" It was a simple enough question, but the Doctor gave no answer. Instead, he fiddled needlessly with a few levers on the console, avoiding her eyes.

"How's Mickey doing?" He asked, not looking up at the blonde woman that was no resting her elbows dangerously close to the button that would set off the fire alarm.

He wasn't quite sure where there needed to be a button for the fire alarm, never mind a fire alarm.

" He's fine." Rose answered, letting the topic get away for a millisecond. "Did you love her?"

Of course he did – she was beautiful and French and everything that Rose was not.

"It doesn't matter. She's gone."

"What if she wasn't?" Rose asked, her voice quiet.

Would he have just left her and Mickey somewhere on earth, forgotten and replaced?

"I don't fall in love, Rose. Not like humans." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Not like half the galaxy. Time Lords didn't really have a concept of love."

She had already known that he would never feel the same towards her that she did towards him. But those words still stung like the bee stings she had gotten when she was ten.

It was an unaccusing accusation, with no hint of question or finality. "But you would have stayed with her." It was simply words, a story of what would have happened.

"I….I had to, Rose. "

"What about Mickey and I then? Would we just have been dissected by those clock or robots or whatever they were?"

They both knew the answer to that.

"I came back." He looked up from the controls, running his fingers through his hair. He might have looked comical then but for the pained look in his eyes.

Rose sighed. "You didn't know you would."

"I'm sorry."

The silence hung in between them like a crack, the gentle hum of the TARDIS echoing against the walls. "You would do it again, wouldn't you?"

"Rose, I…" He reached out a hesitant hand, but Rose backed up toward the hallway, shaking her head.

"I know. "

"No, you don't."

" You would do it a thousand times if it meant saving someone, especially her."

"Rose, that's what I do. I save people."

"And leave others to die."

"I…" He couldn't seem to find the words – to explain to her what he had meant, to explain to her that he knew it had been an idiotic action. Too rash, too unplanned and too unsafe for all three of them. "Rose, she was a fixed point. She had to live." Small lies that stained his tongue.

"She's important."

"Yeah."

Blond strands of hair shivered as she shook her head, disbelieving. "And I'm not? Mickey's not?"

He faltered, mouth hanging ever-so-slightly open as he worked to come up with a reply.

"I'm going to bed, Doctor. Goodnight."

**I'm not sure I like this one much….hm. **


	6. Homework

**Should explain this a bit, or I might get a storm of "Heey but this isn't riiight!"  
In my head, Rose and Jimmy Stone lived together for about a year. During that time, she attempted to continue school, but only lasted a couple of months until he talked her into leaving.**

**Sorry for no update on Tuesday, I was a bit busy. ,**

**This prompt was given to me by Caskett54, which was helping Rose Tyler with her homework.**

He knew he shouldn't.

He could mess up Rose's timeline. In his timeline.

He could rip the universe into thousands of pieces.

He found he didn't really care.

She was young when they first met. She was younger now.

Bleach-blonde hair and black-rimmed eyes (a blend of makeup and tiredness) peered at him with a sense of distrust that tore at him.

"Who're you?" Her voice had yet to gain that distinctly Rose-like curiosity, still cracked and trying to learn.

"The…" He almost told her then. "The tutor. Sent by your mum. John Smith."

She had rolled her black-enclosed eyes then and swung the door open, muttering about how she didn't need a tutor.

When she moved out a month later, her grades dipped again, and they didn't speak of anything but the words on the page and the occasional offer of tea.

"It's not that bad," He said, and she practically glared at him from over the rim of her textbook.

"Who says?" Her voice was starting to learn.

He grinned. "Me."

"And who are you?"

"The…" He almost told her then. "The one who's going to help you learn to say the same." And again, she rolled her eyes.

When a tall, purple-and-blue-and-green haired man in tattered jeans and a t-shirt that blared the name of some band found them sitting at the dinner table that folded away over a sheet of math he said she'd never need,  
He almost told her.

He almost told her of the future she'd have when he found her sitting against a jagged brick wall, torn-up paper held too tight between her fingers and her black-rimmed eyes smeared in desperate attempts to clear her eyes.

When she finally gave into that boy-whose-band-would-be-famous and told him that she was dropping out of school,  
He knew that he hadn't ripped holes in all of reality.

He knew that her timeline was intact.

He knew they would meet for the second time on a snowy winter night, and she would smile and tell him to go home.(That smile was home enough,)

"Goodbye, John."

"Nah," A bright grin. "Never goodbye. Goodbye means an ending. I hate endings." One last time, she rolled her eyes. "Until we meet again, more like."

He knew that the universe was tear-free.

But he almost wished it wasn't.


	7. Dancing

**Okay, since I'm a bit of an idiot and didn't specify that the last chapter was 11 and not 10, I'm doing that now. Sorry for any confusion. , **  
**The prompt was given to me by BiteMe-AlienBoy, and it was****: 'He stared at the floor, the crowd of people, and shrugged. Then he began to breakdance.'  
I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to actually do this one. ,**

The two moons of this strange planet were nestled high against the starry night sky as a strange blue box materialized on the hillside above a brightly lit town below. The songs and sounds that came from it were blocked out temporarily by the sound of the Police Box, and out stepped two strangers – one human and one not, neither from this world. The first one out, a young woman, stared up at the millions of multicolored stars above them.  
"We're hundreds of thousands of years into your future." The second person begins, taking the woman's hand. "Earth's gone, long ago. New New Earth, as well."

"New New York?"

"Technically, yes. But not New New New New New New New" He paused, taking a breath. "New New New New New New New New York. It's still fine for a couple hundred years. Anyway – so, Earth's gone, New Earth's gone, and so the humans and whatever species they meet along the way go off in search of a new planet. They find this hunk of mostly watery rock, and decide to make a sort of paradise. No discrimination, no war, nothing but parties. It's basically all this planet is – a planet of eternal partying. Different festivals every other week, different celebrations practically every day."  
Rose grinned, swinging his hand as they followed the slope of the hill down to the bustle of lights and sounds.

"What's the festival this week?"

"Oh, lots of things. Depends where you are."

"Where are we?"

"No clue! Isn't that brilliant? I love not knowing! " the Doctor grinned, squeezed her fingers, then took off half-running, half-stumbling down the hillside, Rose in tow.

Later, she would claim it was him that tripped, and pulled her down with him. But that wasn't. The truth was that it was _she _who tripped over a root and he followed, falling as she did.

"Hello." She breathed as soon as she had stopped laughing.

"Hello." He replied, making no effort to move off of her. Their faces were shockingly close – she could see each individual freckle that dotted his nose, if she had been looking. She hadn't though, preferring to look at his eyes. His breath was soft against her face, only inches from hers. "Ah…" She began, but instantly forgot what she was about to say, if it had even been anything. They sat like that for what seemed to be both impossibly short seconds and wonderfully long hours. After a while, the Doctor cleared his throat, and looked away, and the moment was shattered.

"Right." He said, quickly standing and trying to push back the fact that that had just happened. "We should…" He trailed off, brushing his hands against his now grass-stained pants.

"Allons-y, yeah?" Rose stood as well, swallowing and looking back towards the bright lights.

He nodded, grinned, then took her hand. "Absolutely! Allons-y, Rose Tyler. The party awaits!"

**** "Come on, Doctor." Rose turned to face him, walking backwards and pulling him further into the thrall of people crowding around them. She grinned and the brilliantly bright purple and green lights bounced off her hair. "Let's dance." Rose led him to the makeshift dance floor in the square, where others mingled.

"Are you sure?" He asked, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Positive." She nodded, not looking at him anymore. He dropped her hand and she turned to ask why. Rather than answering her unspoken question, he stared at the floor, the crowd of people, and shrugged. Then he began to break dance. Rather well. Rose looked on, a mixture of amused and embarrassed as humans and aliens and everything in between watched him.

"Doctor…" Rose bit back a giggle, rolling her eyes and grabbing onto his wrist as it flailed past a few minutes later.

"What?" The Doctor frowned at her as he came to a stop. He clambered into a standing position.

"You've certainly got the moves," She grinned. "But that's not the sort of dancing that I was talking about."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

Pulling his other hand from hers, the Doctor rummaged the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and aimed it at the speakers that towered **a**bove them. The song fizzled out for a few seconds, but a new song – an up-beat, jazzy tune more fit for dancing took its place.

"This 'the sort of dancing you were talking about'?" He grinned, returning his hand back into hers.

Rose grinned back, her tongue peeking from between her teeth. He hummed along as they danced,

"We should do this more," He commented as the song was drawing to an end and a slower one started. Unconsiously he pulled her even closer and was reminded of the grass, lingering in the memory for a moment before filing it away.

Rose looked at him, small amounts of confusion playing on her face. "Hm?"

"Doing nothing. It's nice."

"We do nothing a lot, Doctor."

"…well, we should do it _more._" He replied, and she laughed.

"Yeah. We should."

**I _really_ need to work on my fluff writing, don't I? Well, this is sort of the point of all this, but…eh.**


	8. Sprained Ankles and Confessions

**This prompt was given to me by Susan, and it was "A chase and capture, leading to a heartfelt talk between Rose and 10 and their first kiss."  
I hope you like it!**

The day had started out normal enough. Normal for them, at least. There had been some disappearances from a small town on a planet that the Doctor had called Jenevirah, and they had gone to investigate. It was fine until the rain started. Now, the rain and the fact that they were now in the basement of some rather unpleasant building on the rather unpleasant part of town were related, though it did add the equally unpleasant factor that they were now wet, muddy and shivering (Well, Rose was, really. The Doctor's coat had managed to take the brunt of the rain and he hadn't fallen.) But it just so happened that the rain began at the same time as the running. But that's getting a bit ahead of the story.

The day had started out normal enough. The disappearances had been the result of kidnappings, simple enough. Of course, things were never simple when the Doctor was involved. Jenevirah was in the middle of a war with a nearby planet, and was losing badly. They had decided to expirement on their people in an attempt to create a secret weapon, and kidnapped the most unimportant people that they could find – the Doctor didn't like that.

The rescuing was simple enough; Find the location, find the people, get out. And they had done that. Mostly.

xXxXx

"Are you warm enough?" he asked quietly, but he knew she wasn't. Rose's teeth chattered as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

"No," she admitted, and he released his hold on his part of the blanket. She pulled it around her shoulders, curling up beneath it. "Are you okay?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"I can handle cold better than a human can. I'll be fine. Plus, there's the possibility of you catching a cold."

"What, Time Lords don't get colds?"

"Not usually, no." He replied.

xXxXx

In Rose's defense, the Doctor had told her that they were going to a party. She shouldn't have listened, and not worn the sparkly, strappy heels that she had chosen or the nice, white sundress.

"Doctor!" She fumbled, her toes catching on something half-buried, sending her flying, face-first, into the recently formed mud. He turned quickly, nearly falling himself.

"Rose!" The Doctor knelt beside her, making sure she hadn't hurt herself too terribly. "Are you okay?"

"My ankle," she hissed, looking at the already bruising skin. The kidnappers were gaining ground on them now, and she brushed his fingers his fingers away from her ankle. "Go. Come and get me later, I'll be ok."

"It's just a sprain, thankfully. Anything else hurt?" He ignored Rose's protests, lifting her out of the mud.

"Doctor, go."

"Not without you."

It didn't really matter if he went or not at that point. Shouts came from behind them, much too close to outrun now. "Hey! There they are!"

xXxXx

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

There was a hesitation before she said anything. When she finally did, it came out as a whisper that he could hardly hear despite their proximity.

"I love you." She watched him, to see any change in expression. He opened his mouth – out of shock or surprise or he was about to say something, she wasn't sure which. She didn't really care. "No, listen." She told him, effectively stopping any words he was about to say. "I don't want this to make it weird between us. I just…thought it might be something that you should know. In case, maybe…" She trailed off, knowing that her meaning had gotten through.

"Rose, oh..." He ran his fingers through his damp hair, mussing it further, letting out a sigh that she mistook as one of sad exasperation. "I…" He trailed off, the words having caught in his throat.

"Doctor…you don't need to say anything." She pulled the blanket higher onto her shoulders, as if trying to sink into it. She gave him a wavering smile. "Really." And he shook his head, trying to tell her no, it wasn't alright, that she had just surprised him and he was trying to find how to reply.

A jumble of words filed onto his tongue, misshapen rows that mocked any sense of order. But none of them seemed to make it past that point – beyond his teeth, beyond his lips.

"I'm going to sleep now." She turned towards the wall, trying to ignore the uncomfortableness of her surroundings and the pain in her ankle. She pulled the thin blanket tighter around herself, curling up beneath it.

"Goodnight." He said, groaning as it was that word that he had said, and not the three little words that carried too much weight. Those three little words that mean nothing apart, that should mean nothing together.

"Rose?" He finally asked, reaching over and putting a hand on her shoulder after an amount of time in which she could have fallen asleep and they both could have pretended that it was a dream,. "Face me, will you?"

"Why?"

"I want to talk to your face, and not the back of your head." Reluctantly she turned over, and he smiled. "Much better."

And there he was, wordless again. She looked at him expectantly, but he remained silent, struggling for the words.

_I love you, Rose Tyler._

Why were they so difficult?

He hadn't noticed her sharp intake of breath or the sudden stopping of breath, nor had he noticed the fact that those words broke free from the jumble and passed his lips.  
It took her quiet "You do?" for him to realize.

"Wha-" His eyes grew wide. "I said it out loud."

"Yeah."

"It's-"

She gave him the chance to take it back, just in case he had never meant to say it, or didn't mean it, or didn't mean it in the way she hoped he had. "A slip of the tongue?"

"No – well, technically, yes…" She made to turn away from him again. "Rose, wait. Hear me out." She paused, falling onto her back and looking up at the ceiling. "But that's not what I was going to say."

"Well?" She prodded when he didn't say anything more.

"It's true. I am in love with you. Have been this whole time, I think. Even before I regenerated, I loved you. That's why I-" He stopped short of mentioning the fact that he had kissed the time vortex out of her – Maybe he would tell her one day, but not now. She turned back to him, smiling. "Why I came back, I think. I loved you then and didn't know it, or knew that I would."

Her silence became unnerving after a moment.  
_She had just said it herself – did she not want to hear it in return? Why? But it seemed like she did. Oh, what if he just ruined everything? What if she asks to be taken home? But she's smiling. Smiling's good._

"Is that…okay?" He finally asked, as if it were a thing that had the possibility of _not_ being okay. Of _not _being – to quote a blue-eyed, big-eared man – _fantastic._

xXxXx

" 'M sorry, Doctor," Rose muttered, trying to brush as much mud off herself as she could. It wasn't much, and mostly she managed to smear it across her skin more. "Knew I shouldn't have worn those." She gestured to what remained of her shoes. A heel had broken off somewhere between when they had begun to run and when they were shoved into the small makeshift cell.

"Not your fault," He smiled, despite their situation. "You're just jeopardy-friendly."

"That makes me feel better," Rose grumbled, sighing.

"How's your ankle?" He asked a few minutes later.

Rose made a face. "It's been better."

xXxXx

And suddenly she was smiling. "Yeah." She replied. "Yeah, it is."

"Good."

They laid like that, watching each other and smiling madly, for a few seconds.

"I love you." Rose finally repeated, and leaned closer, just daring him to kiss her. He dared.

He leaned over, catching her lips.  
It wasn't a particularly romantic kiss. It wasn't a particularly excellent kiss. It was soft and quick and nervous and _rather brilliantly perfect.  
_  
**Reviews make my day! So leave me one, maybe? **


	9. Remembering

**This prompt is a combination of two ( I hope you don't mind. ^.^), and they were "Maybe something about a late night of insomnia on her part or something about what the Doctor does while she's sleeping" and "Rose finally remembers EVERYTHING from when she became the Bad Wolf. Including that little kiss she and the Doctor shared.", given by Valerie E. Mackin and BurningupasunX, respectively.**

Set just after The Christmas Invasion. 

The night sky was filled with stars, but no moon. There was never any moon in the small star-lit garden in the TARDIS. Never a sun, never a moon. Reasonably, there shouldn't be much light, but things were rarely reasonable.

Rose was sitting on a stone bench beside a small pond, watching the small fish that swam lazy circles beneath the reflection of those brilliant stars, ignorant of the world above the water. A thin quilt was wrapped around her shoulders, though it wasn't cold.  
"Can I sit here?" A still unfamiliar voice behind Rose asked, gesturing to the open piece of bench beside her.

She glanced at him, nodding after a second of hesitation. "I 'spose, yeah."

The Doctor jumped over the back of the bench, landing with a dull thud on the bench before stepping off and sitting properly. "Are you alright?"

She didn't look back at him when she answered, because it was easier to tell the lie that she wasn't sure was a lie. " Course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just thought…well, it's a bit of a shock, isn't it?"

"Not nearly as much for me as for you...whole new body for you."

"Yeah…" He drew the word out, as if testing it on his new tongue. They both fell silent until a yawn forced its way out of Rose and he suddenly noticed how exhausted she looked. "You should go to bed."

Rose shook her head. "I tried." But she leaned against him anyway, resting her head on his shoulder and wondering if he would push her away. He didn't.

The Doctor cleared his throat a while later, then asked - "How much do you remember?"

Rose sat up slowly, turning to face him as she tried to find the answer to his question. "Just before I looked into the TARDIS, really. Flashes after that – There was lot of gold." He grinned, laughing slightly. "And heat. I felt like I was burning up. Then you k-" She suddenly stopped, looking at him with wide, amused eyes. " I think you need a Doctor? Really?"

"…I thought it was an excellent line!" He protested.

Rose rolled her eyes, leaning back and crossing her arms. "You would."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…" She trailed off, eyes sparkling. "Nothing at all."

"Rose Tyler, I feel like you're insulting me."

"Could be because I am."

"Are you sure that I'm the rude one?" She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep. Rude and not ginger, that's you."

"Think I should dye it?"

She shook her head after looking at his hair for a moment. "No, it wouldn't look right." A few minutes later, she said the words she had almost said before. "You kissed me."

The Doctor debated denying it, but eventually nodded slightly. "I did."

"Right."

" The most effective way of energy transfer." He explained, trying to brush it away.

Rose tried, too. "Of course. Time was of the essence."

"Yep, exactly. Just caring about your safety."

" Totally innocent." Neither were doing it very well.

"Nothing meant by it."

"At all."

"Nothing." Rose leaned against him again, pulling the blanket higher around her shoulders. Her body trembled as a bout of giggles overtook her. The Doctor couldn't help but join, and soon they were a ball of trembling, laughing fabric and skin. When the laughter subsided, he wrapped a lanky pin-striped arm around her shoulders. She burrowed closer against his chest and as the sun-less sky began to lighten, fell asleep. Reluctantly and moving carefully, he picked her up and carried her to her room and set her on her bed.  
"Nothing at all," He muttered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He lingered at the door for a moment before shutting it with a dull click behind him.

**I'd love it if you typed some words into that little box down there!  
Also, do you guys mind if I double up the prompts occasionally? 'Cause sometimes they work well together, but I don't have to if you guys hate it. ^.^**


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